


Where the Heart Is

by Stratagem



Series: The Bartonoffs [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Barton Farm, Bartons Adopt Maximoffs, F/M, Family Fluff, Fix-It, Pietro Maximoff Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-08-29 21:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8505895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: "It'll be temporary." "Mhmm, that's what you said about the dog." Clint glanced over at Lucky, their golden retriever that had been a mainstay in their family for the past three years. Okay, so Laura had a point. / Clint and Laura "adopt" the Maximoff twins, and they slowly become part of the Barton family. Family fun, family drama, family warm fuzzies. AU.





	1. The Decision

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I had originally posted this story here on AO3, but I deleted it while I took a break from the website. I'm back now, and I'm returning with this story, as well as others. Thank you for understanding. <3
> 
> A/N: This is an AU fic, so, you know, no one's dead! YAY! I'm headcanoning that Lila's around 6 and Cooper is 11, and the Maximoffs are 20.

"It'll be temporary."

"Mhmm, that's what you said about the dog."

Clint glanced over at Lucky, their golden retriever who had been a mainstay in their family for the past three years. The dog cocked his head as if catching the line of their conversation and then went back to gnawing on his pizza-shaped squeaky toy.

Okay, so Laura had a point.

"That's different," he said, pointing the carrot he was peeling at her, "They just need somewhere to stay for a little while. A month or so. Two, tops."

She dumped a bowl of potato slices into the big metal pot on the stove. "It's not that I don't want them here, it's—you don't know them that well yet." She plucked the carrot out of his hand and started dicing it on the cutting board. "And then there are their powers, and the kids…"

"I know, I know." He was asking a lot from her, but he needed her to say yes. The Maximoffs didn't really have anywhere else to go besides the Avengers Tower, and that wasn't exactly homey. Or secure, at least not anymore. If he could, he wanted to help them see that the world wasn't just war and oppression and moving from one screwed up situation to another. They deserved a break.

Stepping toward her, Clint wrapped his arms around Laura, above the baby bump, and gave her a quick squeeze. "I owe them. I wouldn't be here without them."

He felt her tense and then relax before leaning back against him, letting go of the knife and the carrot so she could hold on to his arms. They were both quiet for a moment, and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

She finally turned around and looked up at him. "If we did this, there would have to be rules about using superpowers in the house."

"That's fine, they'll be okay with that." Or he hoped they would be. Yeah, they would adjust. They both seemed pretty good at adapting.

"And if something goes wrong—"

"It won't," Clint said with more certainty than he felt, "It won't, they're good kids, I promise. They've just been through a lot." He ran his hands up and down her arms and smirked. "And think about it, the kids will never be late for school again, Pietro can just piggyback them there in the morning. And Wanda can lift hay bales with her mind. It's a win-win."

"Dork." Laura shoved his shoulder affectionately and rolled her eyes. "Where are we going to put them? We only have the one guest room now." The other was slowly filling up with stuff for Nathaniel.

"I was thinking that Wanda could take the guest bedroom, and I'll set up a cot somewhere for Pietro."

"Or he can sleep in the top bunk in my bedroom." Cooper stepped into the room, looking excited at the possibility of sharing his room with a potential Avenger and not at all ashamed to be eavesdropping. "Or the bottom bunk, I don't care. Can he?"

"Hey, you're supposed to be doing homework," Laura said, though she couldn't keep the smile from tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Not practicing spy skills."

"I wasn't, I was…" He opened a cabinet and grabbed a stack of bowls. "Coming to set the table."

"Except dinner's not for a few hours," Clint said, lifting an eyebrow.

Cooper grinned. "I'm getting a head start." He put the bowls down on the counter and looked from Clint to Laura and back again. "So. Could he?"

"I don't think your bunk is big enough for him," Clint said, grabbing another carrot to peel, "He's sort of on the tall side."

"Then the cot can go in my room."

Clint and Laura glanced at each other, both amused by how adamant he was. Apparently it wasn't going to be too difficult for Cooper to adjust to the idea of two new people in the house.

"We'll talk about it," Clint said, which earned him a bright smile. "Now go finish your homework so we can go work in the barn before dinner."

That got him an even bigger smile before Cooper dashed back into the living room, probably planning to rush through his homework so there would be extra time for working on their father-son pet project: a pair of go-karts that had four-wheel drive for mudding.

"So that's one kid in favor," Clint said, "Want to ask the other one?"

"Go for it," Laura said, taking the second freshly peeled carrot as he handed it to her.

Nodding to her, he headed out the door and onto the back porch, where Lila had what looked like half of her art supplies spread out. She was coloring with some pastels, but she had been painting earlier, and there were smears of color on her hands and face. When she looked up at him, he had to keep himself from laughing at the bright smear of purple across her nose and cheek.

"Hey, beauty," he said, sitting down on the porch beside her and looking at the papers she had already finished, "I like this one a lot." He touched one that was mostly green with a few big splashes of purple and grey.

"It's the flowers," she said, pointing to the big bush of purple blossoms beside the porch steps. She scooted over so that she was right beside him, their elbows touching. "They're pretty."

"And purple."

Lila grinned. "That's why they're pretty."

"Oh, of course." It was her second favorite color, after all, right after yellow. He picked up a pastel and swiped it across a blank sheet of paper. "Hey, Li? What would you think if a couple of my friends came to stay with us for a little while?"

She shrugged and leaned over to color on the page with him, adding her yellow pastel to his blue. "Like Mr. Steve or Mr. Bruce?"

"No, actually, they're new friends," he said, "Remember when I talked about Wanda and Pietro?" He hadn't told the kids all the details, but he had mentioned making a couple friends while he had been gone.

"Yep." She dutifully doodled a circle and then a few squiggles. "From Sobonokia."

"Close! It's Sokovia," Clint said, drawing a line beside her squiggles, "But they don't have a home anymore, so they need somewhere to live until they find their feet."

Her pastel paused on the paper. "They lost their feet?" Her eyes were suddenly wide, as if afraid that her own feet were going to run off on their own at any second, and this time he did laugh.

"Nope, that's just a saying, you monkey," he said, reaching over to tickle her, making her twitch and giggle, "It means they need some help getting a home and some other stuff. They might come and stay here with us for a few months."

"Do they like Finding Nemo?"

"I actually forgot to ask," he said, "But I will next time I talk to them."

"What about mac and cheese?"

"Um…I don't actually know if they've ever had it."

Lila's mouth fell open. "What? Nuh-uh!"

"Yes-huh. Mac and cheese isn't everyone's favorite food." Clint reached over and tapped her chin. "Hey, if they come live with us, you can feed them mac and cheese and see how they like it."

"They will, it's awesome," she said.

"I'm going to put you down as a yes," he said, adding a final dash with his blue pastel before handing it to her. Tilting his head to the side, he looked down at the picture they had been working on. "Sort of looks like a boat."

"Or a pirate ship," she said. Snatching up a brown crayon, she started to color in one of the shapes.

Leaving her to finish up the picture, Clint went back inside. The thick, delicious smell of beef stew was beginning to fill the room, making him look forward to dinner even though it was still a couple hours away. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment and just watched Laura as she bobbed to the music from the iPod speakers in the corner, dancing a little to a Disney soundtrack.

"What?" she said after a minute or so, flashing a small smile at him, "Tarzan has the best soundtrack, it's a fact."

"Lies. Everyone knows that The Little Mermaid has the best," he said as he walked over to her. "Haven't you heard Lila sing the ah-ah-ahhh song enough to know that?"

"Speaking of, what'd she say?" Laura raised a curious eyebrow.

"She's on board if we promise to feed them only macaroni and cheese and force them to watch Finding Nemo on a loop. Keep on swimming _or else_."

"I thought we were going to put them up for a while, not torture them," Laura teased.

"Apparently Li has other plans," he said and reached for Laura's hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles and met her eyes. "You swear you're all right with this?"

"I swear," she said, "And I actually just got off the phone with Nat about it."

"Really?" Clint said, stepping back, surprised, "Already?"

"Well, see, we have this giant pot of stew," Laura said, waving a hand at it, "So I thought we should just go ahead and have Nat bring them here." She smirked. "Less leftovers to put away, you know?"

It was basically instinctual to kiss her after that.


	2. The Arrival

So the quinjet was kind of badass.

Pietro wanted to take a closer look at the controls and the various switches and toggles but every time his fingers twitched toward them, Natasha gave him a death glare. It wasn't like he was going to touch anything since he didn't exactly want to drop out of the sky in a freefall after narrowly escaping death just a couple weeks ago.

He would save that for next month.

Still, he was standing around up front, taking in what Natasha was doing. They were on the descent, and Natasha had said they would be touching down in a few minutes.

Out of the cockpit window, he could see green fields and copses of trees for miles, along with a few small towns dotting the landscape. Very rural. Very different from where he had grown up. He and Wanda had lived in the same city their whole lives, so this whole countryside adventure was a little outside his league.

Besides, he wasn't sure how to feel about Clint opening his home to them. He was grateful, they both were, but he didn't like accepting charity. Or imposing on people. But it wasn't like it was a permanent kind of thing, so he guessed it would be all right, and it wasn't like they were bums. He was just having a hard time imaging himself getting up at the butt crack of dawn to milk some cows and gather eggs and generally play at being a farm boy.

But, on the other hand, it could be hilarious to see Wanda pitchforking things and raising barns and square-dancing.

"It would not," Wanda said, overhearing his thoughts or at least getting some of the images from him. The twin link of theirs was often an advantage but at other times, it was a nuisance. Still, he had learned to use it to his advantage.

He grinned over at her and imagined her churning butter in one of those old frumpy western dresses until she retaliated with a mental image of him running away from a man-eating tractor. He rolled his eyes at her. So dramatic.

"Okay, you two," Natasha said, "Before we land, I have one last thing to say." She turned to look at them, making sure they were both paying attention before continuing. "This family is important to me. And they're my…people. Understand?"

Pietro had a feeling that what she was really saying was something along the lines of 'hurt them and I will flay you both alive with a tiny rusty razor and then spread the pieces across the globe.' But she didn't say that, so maybe she trusted them, at least a little bit? He nodded. "Yeah, got it."

"It's understood," Wanda said. She bit her lip. "But you're certain that they don't feel like they have to let us stay? We don't want to be a bother to them."

"If you were, they wouldn't have suggested it," Natasha said, smirking a little, "They know what they're signing up for."

A couple minutes later, the quinjet was setting down in a field of tall grass, not far from a two-story farm house that must belong to the Bartons. Pietro grabbed his backpack and Wanda's, one for each shoulder, and stepped down the ramp.

So much free space.

"This is—"

But he didn't hear what else Natasha had to say because he had already taken off. The world didn't blur around him or anything, to him it stood still, but to everyone else, he would appear as a nearly invisible streak.

He raced forward, darting around an old piece of farm equipment filled with flowers, and set the backpacks down on the porch before turning and giving Natasha and Wanda a cheeky wave. Taking off through the lawn, he dashed past a garden and along a fence line.

Pausing by a fence post about a half mile from the farm house, he looked around. Fields and cows and maybe a river in the distance. He could only smell earth and fresh cut grass and growing things. Nothing like home. Not that he was complaining, it was just really different.

Not so bad.

Turning, he ran back to the house and only stopped when he was right beside Wanda, falling into step with her as she reached the porch.

He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "There really are cows."

"We're on a farm, Pietro." Wanda smiled. "That's sort of a given."

"Whoa, that was _so_ cool."

He looked up to see a smaller version of Clint sitting on the porch railing, staring at him. Right, the kids. There were two of them, a boy and a girl.

"I'm Cooper," he said, jumping off the railing, "So, what happens to your shoes when you do that? Do they have holes in them? Are they special shoes?"

"These are my feet," Pietro said with a smirk, "They just look like shoes. It's a mutation." He grinned at Wanda as she nudged him, disapproving of his joke.

"Really? That's awesome, but why'd they mutate with laces then?"

"Hey, kid, drop the interrogation," Natasha said, but she was smiling.

"C'mon, Aunt Nat, you know you want to know!" the boy said as he hurried over and gave her a hug.

"I _already_ know," she replied, "Now go get your mom and dad."

"Okay, okay," Cooper said before turning to head inside. He nearly got smacked in the face as the door flew open and a girl wearing a t-shirt with a ninja on it and a purple tutu over her jeans burst out of the house.

Her face lit up when she saw them. "You're here!" She ran back inside, letting the door slap shut behind her. There was a slightly muffled but still clear yell, "They're here! They're on the porch! They're standing right here!"

"What've we said about slamming the screen door, Li?"

"No, but they're really here!"

"We're apparently a very big deal," Pietro said, smiling at Wanda and reaching over to give her arm a squeeze. He knew she was nervous; it was leaking through their twin bond. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stepped a little closer to him.

Cooper dodged the door again as it swung back open and the girl hurled herself at Natasha, wrapping the kickass assassin spy in a bear hug. "Missed you, Auntie Nat."

"I missed you, too," Natasha said, pulling back to turn the girl toward them. She was little, maybe five or six? He wasn't exactly an expert on picking the ages of little kids. "Lila, Cooper, this is Pietro and Wanda."

"We know," Cooper said, smiling, "Dad told us about them."

"Hi!" Lila waved at both of them and then looked up at Natasha. "They're from Solokia."

"So close but still so far. It's Sokovia," Clint said as he stepped out onto the porch, followed by a pregnant brunette woman who must've been his wife. It was weird, seeing Clint here like this, out of his uniform and in a plaid shirt. Tacky plaid. Was that the dress code around here?

"I see you've already met the kids," Clint said before gesturing to the woman beside him, "And this is my wife Laura."

"I've heard a lot about you both, and we're happy to have you here," Laura said, spreading her hands open, "Why don't you come in and we can have some dinner. I hope you like beef stew. Or we have salad…?"

"We're both omnivores, promise," Pietro said, nodding to her, "Stew would be nice, Mrs. Barton."

"Oh, no, just Laura is fine," she said as she looped her arm through Natasha's and headed back inside.

Lila dashed over and grabbed Wanda's hand without any hesitation. "Will you sit beside me?"

"I…yes, if you want me to," Wanda said, smiling a little back at her.

"Mhmm! And you gotta meet Lucky, he'll like you, come on, Wanda."

Wanda didn't have a chance to even ask who Lucky was before the tiny Barton tugged her inside the house, followed by Cooper.

Pietro turned to pick up the backpacks, but Clint beat him to it, swiping up both bags and settling them on his shoulder. He turned back around, and Pietro was aware of his scrutinizing gaze. "You look a lot better, kid. How're you feeling?"

"Not dead," Pietro said. Clint had been by his bed when he had woke up in the Tower with newly synthesized skin, and no matter how many times Pietro had said that he was fine, that Clint just owed him a life debt and whatnot, Clint hadn't left until Dr. Cho had said that he was no longer in danger. He had been almost as bad as Wanda with all that hovering, but at least Clint had covertly brought him donuts and those bags of ranch Doritos. He crossed his arms over his chest. "We don't have to stay here. We can find somewhere else, it's—"

"Too late," Clint said, clapping his hand on Pietro's shoulder, "If you try to leave now, my daughter will cry, my son will pout, and my wife will be miffed at me. So you're stuck here."

Stuck wasn't the right word and they both knew it. It was more like 'welcome,' which wasn't something Pietro was used to and neither was Wanda. Being orphans had meant being shuffled around the foster system in Sokovia, and then signing up for Strucker's procedure had given them somewhere to stay but not a home. This was a temporary home, he knew that, but it was better than anything else they had had for a long time.

"So, your wife. She can be Laura," Pietro said as he stepped through the door, "but you're still Old Man."

"Don't push it, Roadrunner," Clint said, turning that friendly hand on his shoulder into a shove.


	3. The Morning Routine

It was before dawn, but the Barton household was already up and on the move. Or, actually, Laura, Cooper, Lila, and Wanda were active.

Pietro was still sleeping, sprawled out on a mattress that had been dragged into the nursery. He had been on the couch the first night and then a cot in Cooper's room, but Wanda could have told them that would never work. Pietro was like an octopus when he slept, limbs everywhere, and it didn't help that he was so tall.

Clint was at the kitchen table, but he was basically motionless and staring at the slowly brewing coffee pot. Wanda and Pietro had been living at the Barton farmhouse for about two weeks, and they were starting to catch onto the patterns of the family. Starting to fit into it like missing pieces.

Still, it was rather funny to see Clint unable to function every morning until he got his first cup of coffee.

"I don't see why you won't just buy a Keurig," Laura said as she grabbed a box of cereal out of the cabinet and set it on the table. Breakfast was often a fend-for-yourself meal with the Bartons, or that was how Laura described it. If you were over the age of ten, you found your own food or you didn't eat. "Wanda, could you get the milk out of the fridge, please?"

Wanda already had the refrigerator open so she could get the cantaloupe and the hard-boiled eggs, so she simply used her telekinesis to float the milk carton over to the table. There were two rules regarding using powers inside the house: 1) no speeding unless it was an emergency, and 2) no mind control. Otherwise, the twins were encouraged to use and experiment with their powers, though Wanda was still hesitant to try the whole flying thing.

Cooper grabbed the milk as he trudged over to the table, looking sleepy. "Thanks, Wanda." He flopped into the chair beside his father and dutifully fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

"No Keurig," Clint grumbled, his fist against his cheek, elbow on the table, "Keurig coffee sucks."

"But it's faster, honey."

"But the coffee still sucks, sweetheart."

"It's not that bad, cupcake."

"It is too, pookie bear."

Wanda had noticed a few days ago that when the Bartons started almost-arguing, they started using pet names. As far as she could tell, it kept the conversation light, so that it didn't evolve into bickering. It was difficult to actually get too aggravated when you kept calling each other increasingly silly names.

"Tony could make a better one," Cooper said, grabbing a bagel from the middle of the table. "He could make a coffee pot that makes coffee and plays movies and transforms into a tablet. All at the same time."

"Nope," Clint said, "No. No more Tony-bots. Just coffee. No more world domination. Especially not before coffee."

Wanda silently agreed with that. She wanted to help save the world, but if there could be a couple months in-between one world-destroying maniacal crazed villain and the next, that would be for the best. At least she hadn't had any dreams or anything that predicted something like that in their near future.

"You're so ridiculous and cute in the morning," Laura said, leaning over to kiss Clint on the top of the head before ruffling his hair, "Go make yourself useful. See if Lila's coming down for breakfast."

Clint made an incoherent but affirmative noise and climbed off the chair that he was sitting on backwards before heading for the door, shuffling on bare feet.

"Oh, and wake up Pietro!" Laura called after him. She leaned against the counter, her hands around a cup of tea, and smiled at Wanda. "Hey, I'm going to go pick fresh strawberries over at the Jamesons' farm later this morning, if you're tired of training and want a break. You and Pietro can come, if you want."

Most of the time, she and Pietro worked with Clint, honing their skills. Strucker had given them these gifts, but they hadn't had much time to become used to exercising them. Under Clint's direction and with a lot more free space to work in, they were trying to test their limits and their control. But taking a small break would be nice, and she didn't want Laura to have to carry around a big bucket or basket of strawberries while she was seven months pregnant.

"I would like that," Wanda said, smiling back. She cut her slices of cantaloupe into bite-sized pieces and set some aside for Lila. The little girl loved fruit, and she would probably want some for breakfast.

There was a slight swoosh of air, and suddenly Pietro was standing in the kitchen with a sleepy-eyed and wild-haired Lila riding piggyback. "Did someone order a kid? Small, loves art?"

"Pietro…" Laura started.

"I had to run, it was an emergency." He grinned cheekily. "A breakfast emergency." At her exasperation, he held up his hands, very innocent. Mhmm, Wanda could see right through that. "And there will be no more breakfast emergencies."

"Unless biscuits get burned," Laura said with a smirk.

"Thanks, Pietro," Lila said as she let go and dropped to the floor.

"You're welcome, Lily." Pietro had gotten her name wrong on the first night they spent with the Bartons, and now it was the only thing he called her.

Wanda noticed that the girl was wearing two different socks, one green and the other blue with rainbows on it. She also had a hairbrush clutched tight in one hand. Lila hugged Pietro's side and then darted over to Wanda.

"Morning!" she said and held out the brush, emanating hopefulness, "Could you braid my hair, please? Daddy's busy, Lucky stole my shoe."

"Again?" Laura said. She sighed and shook her head. "I guess we need more dog toys."

"He has a whole basket!" Cooper said, looking up from his cereal.

"Jealous?" Pietro leaned toward him. "Because I'm sure we could find you some old shoes to chew on too."

Cooper rolled his eyes and flicked a piece of cereal so that it pinged off the silver bowl of apples and bananas in the middle of the table and hit Pietro on the cheek. Accuracy and aim ran deep in the Barton family.

"Please, Wanda?" Lila said. It was impossible to say no to those big brown eyes.

"I can try," Wanda said as she took the brush. She didn't really have a lot of experience braiding other girls' hair, and she didn't do much with her own. Most of the time, she let it do as it pleased or put it up in a messy bun. She grabbed the little bowl of cantaloupe and set it on the table. "Sit down and eat."

While the girl started in on the cantaloupe, Wanda ran the brush hesitantly through Lila's hair, trying to be gentle. She met Pietro's eyes for a moment, and he gave her an encouraging smile. That was enough to make her more confident as she separated Lila's hair into a few strands and started braiding, fingers nimble and deliberate.

Wanda fell into concentrating, barely paying attention as Cooper finished his cereal and Pietro and Laura talked about a fair coming to town. She did eventually look up when Lucky trotted into the room with a pink converse in his mouth and a grumpy Clint in tow.

Laura pointed toward the full coffee pot. "It's all yours."

"Awesome." He glared halfheartedly at the dog and made a beeline for the coffee pot.

"Almost done," Wanda said, pulling off a hairband from the end of the brush, "I think it looks decent."

"It looks really good," Laura said, "I like the little braid you put on the side."

"I thought it might be pretty," Wanda said, smoothing Lila's hair one last time and then tying it off with the band.

"Thank you!" Lila exclaimed, touching the end of the braid and then bouncing off the chair to hug Wanda. You had to get accustomed to hugs quickly when living with the Bartons. They were very…tactile. It was a part of the way they showed their love: hugs, kisses, touches, pats, snuggles.

"Okay," Clint said, looking much more awake, "Let's roll out."

"Where's my backpack?"

"Lucky still has my shoe."

"What about lunch money?

"My shoe's got slobber on it!"

"We're going to be late!"

At least it could never be said that mornings at the Barton house were boring.


	4. Practice Makes Perfect

Having a wicked fast metabolism was extremely useful because it required you to eat so much in order to stay fueled up. This meant that Pietro had eaten two quarts worth of strawberries by himself before they even left the strawberry patch, and he had enough room to eat a third while sitting on the back porch steps. He didn't even bother to wash them as he popped the sun-warmed, sweet-tart berries into his mouth one after another, savoring each one. They were delicious and fresh, and the rest of the quart had no chance. It was going down.

He didn't feel too bad though since together he and Wanda and Laura had picked a big box worth for everyone else. Laura had been very insistent that he not use his powers while they were at the strawberry field, so he was pretty damn proud of that box full of berries.

He could've picked the same amount in under a minute, but he guessed it was worth taking the time. After all, there hadn't been a chance of anyone calling the police to report some demon blur or whatever stealing all their strawberries. Laura probably appreciated that.

Didn't mean he hadn't snatched a couple when no one was looking.

The kids were back from school and doing homework by the time the berry-picking crowd had returned, so Pietro had gone for a run around the property that the Bartons' owned. They had about 125 acres to themselves, so there was plenty of room to zoom around.

Since the battle with Ultron, he hadn't been one hundred percent; his own slightly accelerated healing and Dr. Cho's cradle had helped out a lot, but there had been a lot of damage. He hated staying still though and admitting he wasn't entirely okay wasn't anywhere on his plan.

Steve had said that they were going to bring the team back together in a new facility in couple months. Pietro had every intention of being on that team, no problem.

After the run, he had zipped back inside to steal two huge handfuls of strawberries and retreated to the back porch steps to cool down and enjoy his prize. The only one who had seen him had been Wanda; to everyone else, he had been a swinging screen door.

He was finishing off a strawberry when he heard the door on the other side of the house open. A few moments later, he saw Cooper walking off to the barn with Clint following behind and Lily skipping behind her dad. They disappeared into the rickety old building that looked like it should be condemned and came back out in roughly ten minutes.

Clint was carrying a quiver, his bow, and a bucket of tennis balls while Cooper had on a smaller quiver full of red-fletched arrows and a black recurve bow. The two of them were talking about something that looked serious judging by their faces. Lily followed along behind them, wearing a white quiver and carrying a white bow that looked different than the other two. He couldn't help but notice that she had traded out her sneakers for little white boots. Kid already had a uniform going on. Before they could get very far, Lucky appeared from one of the fields and caught up with Lily, his eyes on that bucket of tennis balls.

It was that time of day. After the kids finished their homework or whatever they had to do for school, Clint often took them off down a trail to a clearing in the woods to practice archery for an hour. Sometimes one of them would whine about it, but most of the time they seemed excited. So far, Pietro hadn't seen the kids train.

Most days he was too tired after his own training sessions with Wanda and Clint. Why the hell did the man have to have a thing that let him shoot nine arrows? Nine exploding arrows? It was easy enough to catch them, but it was harder when they might explode in your hand. He was damn partial to his hands. And sparring against Wanda was worse. She was trying out this new telekinetic net thing…he was not a fan. Most evenings he ended up on the couch with Cooper and Lily, watching a movie or reading mystery novels.

Today though, he was curious, so he grabbed up the last couple strawberries and took off through the woods, avoiding the other three entirely. He had to duck around a few spiderwebs, and he nearly got smacked in the face by an unexpected nose-diving falcon, but he reached the clearing with time to spare.

There were a number of targets set up in various trees and tacked onto big hay bales, and while most were normal-sized, some were tiny and nearly camouflaged. While an expert like Clint wouldn't have any trouble with them, they would probably be difficult for kids.

Pietro had never seen the little ones shoot, so he was sort of anticipating that. Still, he didn't want to disturb them…at least not yet. Picking a decent tree, he climbed up into the limbs and leaned back against the trunk, allowing himself a decent view of the clearing.

They eventually showed up, and there was no set up process or timer started. Clint simply snatched one of the tennis balls from the bucket and hurled it into the air, sending it soaring for the forest. Okay… But seconds later, the ball was shot out of the air by Cooper.

"Nice," Clint said with a smile, grabbing another tennis ball, "Keep your elbow down."

"Yeah, I will," Cooper said, setting up another arrow, his eye on the tennis ball.

Lily had walked past them, and she was standing off to the side, out of the line of fire. There was a set of targets there, one in a tree, another on a hay bale, and a third near the ground. Pietro could hear her singing some kind of rhyme to herself as she stood in front of the targets, back straight, perfectly poised.

Clint flung the tennis ball into the air and then glanced toward Lily. "Bale!"

A white and purple fletched arrow thunked into red part of the target on the hay bale while a red fletched one took down the second tennis ball.

Lily smiled when Clint stepped over and bumped one of her feet with his, readjusting her stance, before he leaned down and tugged on her braid. "Almost, Li. That was close."

"I'll do it better."

"Atta girl," Clint said, running his hand over her hair. "Now—tree!" This time her arrow hit almost inside the bullseye. "Bale." Another arrow whizzing through the air. Bullseye this time.

Pietro wrapped his arms around one leg and brought it closer to his chest, feeling a little like he was intruding on family time. It had been a fine line that he and Wanda had walked since they came to stay with the Barton's. They weren't really part of the family, they were just guests, staying for a little while. No matter how the Bartons treated them, no matter how warm they were, Pietro knew it wouldn't last because soon he and Wanda would move on. That's just how it was. So he shouldn't be here…

"Hey, Coop. Why don't you shoot the big, weird bluebird? It's a decent target."

"'Cause you told us not to shoot people unless they attack us."

"Good point, son."

Pietro looked down to see both Cooper and Clint looking up at him, and Cooper gave a cheerful little wave.

"Hey, Pietro!"

Damn, how long had they known he was there? At least Lily looked surprised. She whipped around, automatically lowering her bow and arrow before she raced over to the tree he was sitting in. "Pietro! Come practice with us!"

Clint grinned, and Pietro wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Oh, yeah, that'll be fun. Come on, Pietro, it's time you learned your way around a bow and arrow."

"That's your thing." But he did dart down the tree, stopping right beside Lily. "Mine's running. Remember? Or are you already going senile?"

Still, he caught the bow that Clint threw to him. Aw shit, he was serious about this. It wasn't Clint's battle bow, or at least he didn't think it was. It looked like an older bow, one that had seen a lot of use and wear.

"This is an arrow," Clint said, holding up the arrow, "And that, you little squirt, is a bow."

Yeah, Pietro was just going to mentally substitute the word 'shit'' for 'squirt'. There was definitely a need to stay G-rated for the little ears, especially Lily's. "Really, wow. This is really advanced tech here."

"Do you like it?" Lily asked, looking up at him, smiling, "You can shoot with me. I got the easy targets."

And now he was going to get shown up by a six-year-old. "Mmm, all right." He couldn't say no to those big brown eyes. They weren't even fair. He walked with her back over to her set of targets, and Clint followed them after throwing another tennis ball for Cooper.

"Want me to show you how—"

"It can't be that hard," Pietro said, cutting the older man off with a cocky grin. Really, it was just putting the arrow on the string and then letting it go. He didn't have to be Clint-level good, he just had to not suck at this. Plus, he'd seen Clint shoot enough times, he had some of the technique down. Or so he thought.

"Okay," Clint said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Suit yourself."

Pietro turned and angled the bow before putting an arrow on the string. He pulled it back and then let it fly, but there was a sharp _thwap_ against the inside of his arm, almost like a bee sting. "Damn!"

"Swear jar," Lily said, referring the jar in the kitchen that everyone had to put a quarter into every time they said a curse word in front of someone under eighteen. So far, Pietro owed the swear jar exactly $11.75.

He should have seen the string before it hit his arm, but he had been focused on aiming at the target. Now there was a pretty pink welt blossoming on the tender skin of his arm.

"Yeah, not hard at all," Clint said with a smirk, "Totally easy." Lily loosed another arrow and it smacked the center of the ground target. "So simple a six-year-old can do it."

"I get the point," Pietro said, rolling his eyes and handing the bow back to Clint, except Clint shook his head and wouldn't take it.

"No, you keep that one. The kids need someone else to compete against." He rubbed his chin. "Want to actually learn how to use it?"

Pietro shrugged, not wanting to seem too interested. "Yeah. Maybe."

"You're just scared we'll beat you," Cooper said, throwing him a big grin.

Pietro snorted. "I know you'll beat me." He ran his hand over the bow and looked back at the kid. "But not for long." Yeah, what could it hurt, learning to shoot a bow? It could be a hobby or something, and yeah, Wanda might like it, too. He would have to ask her if she wanted to try it when they went back to the house.

"Yay!" Lily yelled, jumping into the air.

Clint nodded. "All right, then. Let's get to it."


	5. Chapter 5

Clint sat up in bed, one hand clenching the sheets and the other reaching automatically for Laura, for comfort. Outside in the darkness, the last rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance. Slowly, he let go of the sheets, allowing blood to flow back to his stark white knuckles. Slow, intentionally deep breaths filled his lungs, calmed him down.

He felt Laura shift under his other hand, and then she was behind him, her stomach against his back, hands sliding down his tense arms. "Hey. Shh. I'm here. You're here."

"I know…" And he did know where he was. Fundamentally. It was just when he was asleep and thunder rolled over the farm that his mind traveled into nightmares about battlefields and blood. That was when thunder sounded like bombs exploding only a few blocks over, too close for comfort, and lightning was too much like a flash grenade. He hated storms more than he liked to let on, even to Laura.

He rubbed her hands and then brought them to his lips to kiss them. "I'm okay."

"Mhmm," she said, obviously not believing him. He felt her rest her forehead against his shoulder blade. "You don't have to be."

"Yeah." That was one of the five thousand, six hundred and twenty nine things he loved about her. He could be vulnerable around her if he needed to be, and she wouldn't coddle him or say that everything was just fine or expect him to be tougher. He turned and kissed her, tenderly at first and then more insistently, fingers threading into her thick brown hair.

There was a little knock at the door, quick and light, and then the hinges on their bedroom door squeaked as it popped open. As Lila stepped in, he made a mental note to douse the hinges in WD-40 in the morning.

"It's storming really bad," she said, her light purple baby blanket over her head like a makeshift hood.

Laura patted the comforter, a silent admission, and Lila raced over before springing up onto the bed. Clint caught her before she landed and pulled her close, gently tugging on the blanket covering her head. "What's with the hood?"

"It's mine." She yanked it back in place and burrowed against his chest, flinching as lightning lit up the bedroom. Clint braced himself as the thunder sounded a few moments later. The storm was getting closer.

"Let me guess, you want to sleep with us?" Clint asked, rubbing her back.

"Yeah…" Lila asked, and when she huddled again as thunder cracked, he knew there was no way he could say no. Besides, she was cuddly and didn't sprawl all over the place.

"Yeah, sure." He kissed her forehead and rolled her off his lap and onto the bed so that she ended up on his side of the bed. Normally he would just stick her in-between him and Laura, but with Laura's baby bump, it made things more awkward. Instead, he could make things easier by just tucking Lila in on his other side.

"Hey, no one's going to ask me?" Laura said, her voice warm and sleepy even as she reached over and gave Lila's toes a tug. "No one said I wanted to share my bed, squirt."

The six-year-old giggled a little and then dove under the covers as the room brightened again.

Clint smiled and pulled the covers all the way up over her head before leaning over to run his hand down Laura's arm. "I'm going to go make sure Lucky's all right." He was surprised that the dog hadn't raced into the room right behind Lila; normally he was a big trembling ball of fur whenever the weather was acting up.

It was possible that he had crawled into bed with Cooper, but he could also be downstairs, cowering under the kitchen table. Aversion to storms was a part of their family, he supposed.

"Come back soon," Laura said before she curled back up in the blankets, reaching over to pull the blanket bubble that was Lila as close as she could.

"Bring hot chocolate?" Lila's little voice asked from underneath the blankets.

"Yeah, yeah." He squeezed her toes and then padded out of the room, glancing around the hall. Lila had abandoned her room quickly, leaving her door wide open and her covers half-off her bed and stuffed animals scattered about in a trail to the hallway. Cooper's door was cracked, but when Clint opened it a little wider to peek in, he didn't see Lucky.

He did see his son sprawled out, obvious to the thunderstorm that was still carrying on outside. As thunder shook the house again, Clint leaned against the doorframe. Cooper simply rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head. At least someone was getting some solid sleep.

Wondering where the dog was, since he was obviously not in Coop's room, Clint headed downstairs, his bare feet cool against the wooden steps. This house was never creepy, but the storm made it a little less warm and welcoming than it normally was. He just wanted to make sure Lucky was okay and then he was going right back upstairs.

He sensed other people before lightning even lit the room, but they were familiar, not threats. The big speed demon was perched on the arm of the couch while Wanda was curled up on the cushions. On the last cushion, where Wanda had her feet tucked under a blanket, Lucky was curled up, his head resting on the girl's legs.

Wanda didn't move, but both Pietro and Lucky looked up at Clint. The dog gave a quiet huff and tucked his head back against Wanda's legs, as if irritated that it had taken Clint that long to find them. As the lightning faded, Pietro faded into a silhouette against the window.

There were lots of reasons to be afraid of storms, but he guessed why the twins were awake. Wanda had told them their story while the two of them waited for Pietro to wake up. He knew about the bombs and the way their parents died, and he knew they came from an embattled country where bombings were frequent. Thunder sounded so much like mortars in the distance… He should have guessed that the two of them would be just as unnerved by the storm as he was. But he couldn't address it, not directly, and especially not to Pietro. The kid had a lot of pride.

Pietro held a finger to his lips and then walked over to Clint, nimbly avoiding the puzzle that Cooper had left out and a couple tennis balls that hadn't been put back in Lucky's toy box. When he was beside Clint, he gestured over at Wanda. "She's asleep."

"Good." If he had to, he would bet that she had just fallen asleep a few minutes ago. Clint nodded his head to the kitchen and then went that way, knowing Pietro would follow.

When he stepped inside, he turn on the light over the sink, which at least helped make the lightning less dramatic. He automatically opened a drawer and picked out a few packets of hot chocolate before crossing over to the fridge to get the milk. He nodded toward one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "Sit, Roadrunner."

Pietro glanced at him and then leveled himself up to sit on a countertop instead, his eyes full of quiet challenge.

Clint snorted. He was too out of it to tell the kid to get off the counter. Let him stay. "Grab some mugs, then. Please."

Reaching around, Pietro pulled a couple mugs out of the cabinet. "What do you need them for?"

"Hot chocolate. Lila likes it during storms. Me too." Clint poured some milk into the mugs and then nodded again to Pietro. "Get another one."

Pietro plucked down another mug. "Who is this one for?"

"You." Clint filled the last mug halfway and returned the milk to the fridge. He popped the three mugs into the microwave so the milk could heat up. He leaned back against the counter and looked up, forcing himself to not flinch when the thunder struck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pietro wince. Yeah. He knew the feeling.

"Lucky woke up me and Wanda," Pietro said, "So we were sitting up with him."

Clint knew that was an excuse. Whenever Pietro lied, his right eyebrow twitched. He wouldn't press him though, he was already pretty sure he knew why they were awake. Let the kid have his pride. "Yeah, he doesn't like storms either, but we can't give him chocolate. He just likes being with people."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Clint pulled the mugs out of the microwave before it could ding and started pouring the cocoa mixes into them. When he finished the first one, he slid it over to Pietro and then got him a spoon so he could stir it.

"Why is he afraid of storms?" Pietro clinked the spoon around the ceramic edges of the mug.

"I don't really know," Clint said, "I think he probably had a bad experience with them when he was a puppy, you know?"

"Yeah…" The spoon stirred faster, faster, creating a little mini whirlpool that looked like it might sling hot chocolate everywhere at any moment. Pietro pulled the spoon out and let the hot chocolate swirl. "Haven't you had him since he was a puppy?"

"Nope," Clint said, sliding a second mug over to Pietro, "Stir that for Li, will you?" While Pietro stirred Lila's drink, Clint poured the last packet of hot chocolate into his own milk. He could've used a shot of something stronger, but he didn't like to drink hard stuff at home. Just beer.

"I found Lucky after what happened in New York." New York was one of those battlefields that fueled his nightmares and made nights like this almost unbearable. "We were doing relief work, me and Steve, and there wasn't much we could do for some people. Sometimes we were too late or there wasn't…but here was this dog trapped in the rubble. He had gotten left behind…" Clint trailed off, not wanting to remember Lucky's weak whimper or the way he had looked more than half dead. Hell, he had thought the dog _was_ dead when he first saw him. "Anyway, so I took him to a vet and then I looked for his owners. Never could find them, so he's been here ever since."

"So he's lucky since you found him."

"Maybe. Nah. I'm lucky that I found him." After being brainwashed and watching New York get invaded, after all the death and destruction, finding that dog had been a bright spot, the first of many as they found more and more survivors. "He's a part of the family now."

Pietro nodded and pushed the second mug back over to Clint. "For Lily. Tell her I said to sleep well."

Clint picked up the mug. "I will. And Pietro?"

"Yeah…"

"You sleep well too, kid."

Pietro smiled a little and sipped at his hot chocolate. Clint was going to call that a 'thank you.'


	6. you can fly, you can fly, you can flyyy

"I don't believe I'm doing this right," Wanda said as she forced a spatula underneath a hamburger patty and flipped it over. It nearly fell right out of the pan, and only a quick dart of her telekinesis kept it from splattering on the stove top.

"It's in the wrist," Laura said, twisting her own wrist as an example and then smirking. "But using telekinesis works too, if you're cool like that."

Wanda smiled back, but she really did want to master doing it the normal way. So many things in her life were extraordinary and strange, it seemed like she should be able to flip a hamburger just like anyone else. A slice of normalcy among all the craziness.

"I just want a hamburger," Cooper said. He was sitting at the kitchen table, alternating between working on homework and staring longingly at the makings of dinner. Apparently baked potatoes were way more enticing than mathematics. "Any kind of hamburger."

"Soon, halfpint." Laura pointed the spatula at him. "You better finish that homework soon. I think I heard your dad talking about wanting to take you on a run later today, or he was if you finished your homework…"

That got the boy studying again, his brunette head bent over his book as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. Doing schoolwork on a Saturday was not fun, but at least he would be finished with it.

Wanda turned back to the stove, watching the hamburgers sizzle and pop. She couldn't help but notice how much both Lila and Cooper sought Clint's attention. They both jumped at any chance to spend to time with him, perhaps always afraid it would be last time. As far as she could tell, the two children both knew who their father's superhero identity was and what he did for a living, though she wasn't sure if they knew about his SHIELD affiliation or not. It was probably safer for them if they didn't know…

"Oh, Wanda, flip! Flip!" Laura said with a laugh, pointing at the pan where the burgers were starting to smoke.

Wanda muttered under her breath a word in Sokovian that was off-limits in the house and waved her hand over the burgers. Scarlet energy scooped each one up and turned it over before settling it back in the grease. How did people cook without magic? It made things so much easier.

She turned around to find Cooper looking up at the ceiling, scrutinizing the fire alarm. "Is the smoke detector broken?" He looked over at Wanda, then at her sizzling hamburgers, and then grinned impishly. "Must be."

"I'll show you broken," Wanda said with a grin of her own before she waggled her fingers at him, making his chair float up from the floor and his papers scatter. He retaliated by launching his eraser at her, nearly hitting her in the forehead before her telekinesis caught it.

Laura's hand came down to rest on Wanda's shoulder, and she gave Cooper a pointed look. "Less floating things and teasing and more cooking and studying, please and thank you." Her smile softened the words. "It'd be nice to have lunch fixed before supper time rolls around."

For a little while, it was quiet in the kitchen, with just the sounds of hamburger cooking, Laura's knife cutting vegetables for the salad, and Cooper's pencil scratching against his worksheet. Faint in the background, the some band of tenors sang from the speakers on Laura's iPod dock.

Then Lila came racing in with Lucky running behind her. Both of them were covered in mud and made tracks as they skidded to a stop in the kitchen.

"Lila Nicole Barton, what happened to you?" Laura asked, her eyebrows raising.

But Lila was too excited to answer. She just bounced up and down on her dirty bare feet, glee in her eyes. "Mommy, Mommy, there's a shiny purple wizard and a man with wings in the front yard, and Mr. Uncle Steve and Auntie Nat are here with Daddy and Pietro!"

Looks were exchanged around the small group, and Laura nodded to Wanda. "Go ahead, see what's going on. I'll finish up here. Lila, wash off!"

Wanda wiped her hands off on a floral pattern cloth and headed for the door, not paying attention as Cooper begged his mother to let him go too. Pietro had gone with Clint to take a look at the new Avengers facility, but Wanda had opted to stay back at the house. She wanted to meet her new teammates, but she wasn't sure she wanted it to be so soon. She was still sort of figuring out her powers and what she would do on a team of superheroes.

Lila dashed past Wanda and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Come on, come on," she dragging on Wanda's hand, yanking her toward the front door, "Pietro said for you to come!"

"I am, I am," Wanda said with a laugh, walking quicker to appease the little girl. Such an indomitable will that one had. She was tiny but fierce.

They headed out the front door and onto the porch, stopping at the top of the steps. Out front was a sight not commonly seen in the upper New York State area: a Quinjet perched in the front yard, jets cooling while the Avengers stood nearby, looking out at one of the fields, probably hearing Clint explain about the new crop rotation.

Very riveting.

Lila broke the strangely rustic scene by rushing down the steps and sprinting over to Natasha. "Auntie Nat!" she shouted and launched herself into the redheaded woman's arms.

Wanda didn't hear what Natasha said, but she could see her smiling. The group moved toward her, and the blur that was Pietro dashed away from them and over to her side. He looped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"You should've come with us," he said, grinning at her, "It's going to be nice, once it's finished."

"What, does it have a pretty hamster wheel for you?" she asked, smirking right back at him and then laughing as he jostled her.

"We considered that, but it was too expensive," Steve said. Lila had claimed one of his hands and was walking between him and Natasha, and they kept picking her up to swing her a little ways. It was oddly cute to see Captain America, the "free" world's hero, wearing civilian clothes and playing with a little kid. He pointed at the only one out of them that Wanda didn't know, an African American man with a backpack strapped to his back. Sam Wilson. She knew him from the briefing report that Natasha had sent them a couple weeks ago; he was supposed to be joining the team when the facility was finished. "I'd like you to officially meet Sam Wilson." He glanced over at the man. "Sam, this is Wanda Maximoff."

"It's nice to meet you, Wanda," Sam said, reaching out a hand to her.

"Likewise," Wanda said, attempting a smile. She just didn't warm up to people as quickly as Pietro did.

"Ms. Maximoff." She turned to see the Vision standing at her side, having approached with that uncanny silence he seemed to possess effortlessly. Maybe he had glided over. He nodded to her. "I'm happy to have this chance to learn something new with you."

Well that caught her off guard. "I…I'm sorry, did I miss something?"

"Sorry, Wanda, but we're switching up your training session for today," Clint said, his grin definitely mischievous. "How do you feel about flying?"

Before she could answer, the front door banged open and Cooper raced out. "Mom says lunch is ready 'cause she got out the sandwich stuff but can we please go on the jet first, please, pleeease?"

"If you wait until later, we can all take the jet for a spin, if it's okay with your parents," Steve said.

"Okay…"

"Wait, what about the whole flying thing?" Wanda asked as they all headed up the steps and into the house, her eyes narrowing at anyone nearby. She didn't like to have things sprung on her.

"That's why Sam and Vision are here," Pietro said, looping an arm around her shoulders, "They're going to help you figure out how to go air born."

"What if I don't want to?" Wanda said. She frowned up at him until he kissed her forehead.

"You've always wanted to fly. It'll be fun. And you know I'll catch you if you fall." He winked and pulled on her hand, tugging her toward the kitchen.

Lunch was a boisterous affair for everyone besides Wanda. Cooper wanted Sam to retell just about every Falcon story that wasn't classified, and before long Sam and Steve were exchanging stories about old missions and friends for Cooper's enjoyment. Lila seemed incredibly pleased, sitting between Nat and her mother in her dad's lap, since chairs were scarce.

It wasn't long enough before they were all outside, and Wanda felt like she was performing for an impromptu circus. The Barton family, Pietro, Steve, and Natasha were sitting or standing on the porch, while Sam and Vision were in the yard with her, one on either side. Steve, Vision, and Pietro had been kind enough to scatter some massive hay bales around in case she fell, but she doubted it would stop it from hurting very much.

"In theory," Vision was saying, "You should be able to use your telekinetic powers to sustain flight. You'll have to build up endurance, but you might be able to hover today."

"I think you'll get the hang of it fast," Sam said, grinning at her, "I bet it's just like floating things, just you're floating yourself. You ever tried it before?"

"I didn't think I was strong enough," she said honestly, taking a deep breath, "I'm still not convinced that I am."

"I think you can!" Pietro yelled from the porch.

He had to think that though. He was her twin. She was the one who needed confidence. If only she could borrow part of his…Pietro had self-confidence for at least five people.

"Sam and I will be right here," Vision said, and as if to confirm it, Sam let his metal wings unfold. Over on the porch, Cooper and Lila both gasped, probably because it looked very neat. Or 'awesome,' as they would say.

"Fine." Wanda stepped back, gathering her powers around her. They were mental, she knew they were, but sometimes it felt like they were something beyond her, like she was tapping into…well, magic. But that was true, because magic wasn't real. It just seemed like magic because it was so far out there in the realm of science, it was hard to explain. Still, seeing the red mists wrap around her hands, she could almost believe in magic.

She let her powers swirl around her, catching at her arms, her hands, her feet, and she thought about going up. Her strength could press up from the ground, push off, send her into the air. She started to rise, one centimeter, five, ten. Maybe this would work. Her powers built, pushing her upwards, close to a meter in the air. Except this was pointless. She was telekinetic, not gifted with flight.

Automatically, she dropped back down, and Vision had to catch her. He set her on her feet and then squeezed her shoulder. Pietro had raced over the second she had faltered, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Come on, you've got this, Wanda." He grabbed her for a moment to give her a hug and then a little shake. "You know you want to do this."

"I do, but I just don't think I can."

"You can, and it'll be great." He smiled brightly, cheekily. "And then maybe you can have a hope of catching up with me."

"Shut up," she said, managing a laugh as he ducked a shove from her powers and raced back over to the porch backwards, giving her a double thumbs up.

"Stop second-guessing yourself," Natasha called from the porch, as if she could read Wanda's mind, "You can do this."

"Go Wanda!" Laura shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth, and Clint let out an accompanying yell that didn't have any words but sounded really affirmative. Beside them, Cooper and Lila started yelling like her own personal cheering section.

"You've got this," Sam said, "They all think you can do it."

"And what, now I just have to believe it?" she asked, staring at him.

He smiled. "Something like that. Cap can say it in a really inspirational way, if you want."

"I can do without a speech," she said. All that cheering was helping, though. For so long, it had just been her and Pietro standing up for each other, bolstering each other. Now she had a whole family rooting for her, believing that she could do this.

Maybe she could. She closed her eyes and gathered her powers again, thinking about them taking her up, catching every piece of her and moving her upwards. The voices faded away as she focused on her powers, keeping them firm and in hand.

"Hey, Wanda?" Sam seemed amused. "You might want to open your eyes."

"Oh!" She was hovering near the top of the barn, her powers pulling at her clothes and hair but holding firm. They didn't even falter as she looked around. She spotted Pietro under her, like he actually would catch her if she fell, and Clint was standing near him, watching her with a smile on his face. Like he was proud of her or something. On the porch, the rest of the crew was shouting and cheering, and Lila was jumping up and down.

Wanda laughed and did an experimental barrel-roll before floating back toward the ground. Oh yes, she could get used to that, feeling free and unrestrained. Weightless.

Who wouldn't fall in love with that feeling?

 


	7. Adventures in Babysitting

Date nights were incredibly rare in the Barton household. With two kids and a third on the way, missions, and a somewhat working farm to take care of, Clint and Laura had a difficult time finding a spare moment to go out to dinner and a movie. So when Pietro and Wanda volunteered to watch the kids so the Bartons could celebrate their anniversary, Clint and Laura didn't hesitate.

"Just don't burn the house down and everything will be fine," Clint said as he grabbed the keys to the truck.

"And if you need anything, just call us," Laura said, smiling at Wanda.

"We'll be fine," Wanda said. She and Lila were sitting on the floor, looking up nail art online to try out later that evening. Growing up, Wanda hadn't had many chances to goof off and act like a child, so she had never really painted her nails just for fun. It was going to be an experience, especially since most of Lila's nail polishes were glittery or neon.

Clint helped Laura into her jacket and then rubbed her shoulders. This was the first time that just the two of them had gone out since before the Avengers' last mission, so they were both looking forward to the evening. Plus, there was no one more capable of watching the kids than Pietro and Wanda, except for Natasha, of course.

"Yeah, after you're gone, we're just going to start a bonfire and begin burning precious family heirlooms," Pietro teased from the couch. In reality, the line of DVD cases on the coffee table and the set of board games beside it told a different story.

"Uh-huh, sure," Clint said. He wasn't going to rise to the bait. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow at Pietro and got a cheeky smirk in return. Okay, so, really they were leaving the kids with Wanda. He nodded to Wanda. "You're in charge."

Pietro protested as Clint and Laura left, leaving the twins, Cooper, and Lila behind to hopefully not destroy the house in their absence.

"Sooo, can we go now?' Cooper asked, jumping up onto the other end of the couch and looking expectantly at Pietro.

"You have to wait until they've made it to the end of the driveway," Pietro replied, "Precautionary measures and everything."

"Once again, I'm voicing my opinion that your idea is horrible," Wanda said.

Lila nodded. "Mom and Dad would be mad."

"Exactly, which is why we're not going to tell them, right?" Pietro said, reaching out and poking Lila in the middle of her forehead.

"I'm not a snitch," she replied defensively, turning her attention back to the nail polishes.

"Lila, you can't say anything," Cooper said, "You neither, Wanda."

Both of the girls looked at Cooper and Pietro with withering expressions. As if they would tell Clint and Laura, especially when they would possibly get in trouble for not trying harder to stop them. If the boys decided to race around the countryside while their parents were gone, that was their choice.

Cooper walked over to the window and stared out the curtains. "I can't see them anymore. They're out of the driveway."

"Give it a couple more minutes, they might've forgotten something." Pietro was lacing his sneakers, the ones that Tony Stark had sent over a week ago. Apparently they would hold up better to the strain of constant high speeds, so Pietro wouldn't come home in tattered shoes again. The idea was that if somehow Clint and Laura found out about the excursion, whether the girls snitched or they were picked up on an Avengers satellite, they could say they were testing out the prototype sneakers.

"What are you going to do if the Captain or Natasha find out?" Wanda asked her brother, raising an eyebrow at him, "How are you going to talk your way out of that?"

"There's no reason I can't go for a run with Cooper," Pietro said. He rolled his eyes and headed over to where Cooper was still perched at the window. He ruffled the kid's hair and grinned. "Ready?"

"Heck yeah!" Cooper shouted and rushed off for the front door. He opened it just in time to see something crash into the front yard, sending a wave of dust into the air.

The thud caught Wanda and Pietro's attentions. The twins shared a look before getting up and hurrying to the door, Lila following after them. She squeezed in between them and stood beside her brother as the cause of all the noise stood up and brushed himself off.

"Mr. Thor!" Cooper said, his eyes wide, "What're you doing here?"

Wanda stepped up behind Cooper, watching the destructive Asgardian carefully. She liked Thor well enough, but things happened to get crushed or ruined when he was around and forgot exactly how strong he was.

"Hello, small Hawkeyes and you other two," Thor said, straightening up and grinning. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, and his long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. "I came to see if Clint and Laura were home. I have much to discuss with them about, er, important topics."

"He's out with Mom," Cooper said. He jumped off the porch and headed over toward Thor. Walking in a circle around the Asgardian, he gave Mjolnir a quick poke. "He's getting retired anyways, so he can't help much."

"It's not about heroism, young hawk," Thor said, looking bemused, "Unfortunately."

"Now I'm curious," Pietro said. He dashed down the stairs and stood in front of Thor, crossing his arms over his chest. "If it's not work-related, then what're you here for?"

"It's not important," Thor said.

"Oh," Wanda said, getting a glimpse at the foremost thoughts in Thor's blond head. She didn't use mind control or telekinesis in the house, but this was technically outside of the house. Plus, Thor wasn't a part of the family. Wanda smirked. "Troubles with Ms. Foster?"

Thor gave Wanda a frown and then clapped his hands together. "Well, since Clint isn't here, I'll go then…"

"Wait, wait," Cooper said, grabbing Thor's shirt and pulling back, "Hold on. You can't just leave! You didn't stay long the last time you were here, either."

"Yeah," Lila piped up. She stood beside Wanda, her hands on her hips. "And you broke my house."

"I apologize for that," Thor said, shaking his head and remembering the destroyed building block creation.

"You know, I think if Thor was a true gentleman, he'd help you create a new house," Wanda said, her smirk growing into a mischievous smile, "It's only the honorable thing to do."

Thor looked at the kids, who were both giving him hopeful looks, and sighed.

And that's how when Clint and Laura got home they found an Asgardian-shaped cityscape of Legos in their living room and Thor, Lila, and Cooper napping on the living room rug while Wanda and Pietro watched reruns of old 80s shows.


End file.
